Reunited!
by justdaisy
Summary: After Rick's death Tina discovered she was pregnant (Introducing RJ!) and moved in with Kuon/Ren's parents. Now, the family has gone to Japan to surprise Ren! Story begins on Valentine's Day, on the set of Dark Moon. Tina gives Ren x Kyoko a gentle push. T for what happened to Rick and Tina's foul mouth.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or its characters. RJ is original though, I claim him.**

 **Hi! I just wanted to add this note to clear up possible confusion. Chris is Tina, she just decided Chris was a better mom name. This story starts when Sho kisses Kyoko on Valentine's Day. This is my first piece of writing so feedback is much appreciated!**

Chris looked down to the photo Julie had given her as she made her way through the crowded studio. The idea seemed silly when Julie had suggested it, why would Chris need a photo to recognise her childhood friend? But she was surprised by how much Kuon Hizuri had changed. Or pardon, Ren Tsuruga, no, Tsuruga Ren. Names worked differently in Japan.

 _Though to be fair,_ she thought to herself, _you've done your share of changing_. Kuon had moved to Japan, taken up an alias, gotten a new look and started a career for himself. Chris let her hair return to her original brunette, and gotten her own new career of sorts, for which she thought her new name was more appropriate.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the crowd she was making her way through all turned in the same direction, whispering. As she had no bloody clue what they were saying, she too looked to see what was going on. When she saw she rolled her eyes. It was some kids making out. _I guess these guys are their friends, I guess that's kind of fun._ Some guy made his way past her. _Omigosh that party at Kuon's when,_ she smiled a little, _and everyone-_.

The girl in the couple pulled away looking horrified. The boy stood there looking, in Chris' opinion, like a prat. He grabbed the girl's arm again, but she pulled away. Chris saw she was close to tears. Temper like a flame, she marched right over there and let the creep have it.

Someone shoved him on her way past, bringing Ren back to his senses. This was no time to stand gaping, Kyoko was upset. Wait, where did she go? He looked back to Fuwa.

"Who. The. HELL do you think you are? I have no idea what "No" is in Japanese but she probably said it and that. FUCKING. Means. No."

 _How about that_ , Ren thought, _karma's real_. He looked around some more and saw Kyoko with a sympathetic looking group of girls.

"Huh? I have no idea what you're saying _asshole_ , but whatever it is is no excuse! Would you pull that shit on your Grandma?"

 _Holy shit._ That last line made him realise three things. One, the speaker was English. Two, the voice was somewhat familiar. Three, he'd been on the receiving end of the exact same lecture a million times when he was a teenager. He looked back to Kyoko. She seemed to be in good hands for now.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't let the door hit you on the way out you creep! Or actually, do. Twice even-"A hand fell on Chris' shoulder.

"Tina?"

Her eyes widened.

"Kuon."

 **Thanks for reading guys. How do you feel about the strong language? I don't swear much in real life but I felt given the characters' rough backgrounds it made sense. If it's too offensive I can clean it up. Also, do Americans say prat? It means self-righteous idiot who is also not nice.**

 **PS I'm starting a crossover story called Kylo Ren Tsuruga, it would mean a lot t me if you checked it out! Right now there's only a teaser.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This "chapter" is REALLY short but I felt it still needed to be separated from the others. I probably won't usually release things so close together.**

Kyoko felt somewhat better after talking with Ren. She felt a little silly for being so unprofessional. Yes. It was all just perspective. _Anyway,_ Kyoko thought as she walked back to the lunch table her girlfriends were waiting at, _no more chocolate this Valentine's Day!_ There was only one gift left for her to give, and she just found the perfect finishing touch.

Ren took a deep breath as he opened the door to his dressing room. So far Tina had been very calm (after she finished with Fuwa that is) and agreed to wait for him while he talked to, "The poor girl that creep assaulted." When he entered the room she was pouring hot water for tea. Uncharacteristically, she seemed to be at a bit of loss for words.

"Um… hi."

"Hello."

She stood facing him for a moment, then he saw tears well up in her eyes. He looked down in shame. He knew if he ever saw her again it would be like this. Of course she would blame him for Rick's death. Of course she'd be this sad. Any second she'd walk over there and slap him. He'd deserve it. He had no right to say anything to her. It was his fault her boyfriend died. He could never…

Ren's unhealthy chain of thought was broken when Tina wrapped her arms around his torso and held him in a hug. Uncertain what to do, Ren put his arms around her shoulders. She relaxed some more into him. Ren sighed and relaxed into his old friend.

 **Sorry for the shameless health promotion, but I'm gonna do this properly:**

 **If you ever have an unhealthy chain of thought like Ren, try googling MoodGYM. It's free Cognitive Behavioural Therapy lessons for depression and anxiety. I am not a healthcare professional or associated with the makers of MoodGYM. I just think they're nice. Tell your friends.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat! or its characters**

 **Hi! Thank you to the people who have reviewed, the feedback has been much appreciated. This chapter isn't much longer that the first ones but as requested I'm making the next ones longer! I hope you enjoy 3**

The two old friends were now sitting on Kuon's couch drinking their tea. Neither said anything.

Chris saw that Kuon looked awkward. Her heart went out to him; sure she had been mad at first, but losing Rick must have been just as traumatic to Kuon as it had been to her. Perhaps in different ways, but they were both very important to Rick.

"You know, we don't need to have this talk right away." She grabbed Kuon's hand and rubbed her thumb reassuringly across its surface. Kuon looked up at her with nervous eyes. "Eventually we will. I guarantee that. For now though," she looked around the room, "Tsuruga Ren! What he like?" She grinned.

He smiled weakly.

"He's an actor? He's had a lot of great opportunities, he's been working hard to mature…?"

Tina was staring at him with an odd look. She was smiling, but seemed a bit sad. A little doting perhaps? She noticed his inquisitive look.

"I think he's maturing splendidly," she said, placing an arm around his shoulder for a side hug.

Tina wasn't usually this affectionate. He wanted to ask what had happened to her in the time since he left, but couldn't find an appropriate way to phrase the question.

"Anyway," she said, "your folks asked me to invite you over for dinner. It's Valentine's Day! You should be with your family!" She rubbed his shoulder enthusiastically while his thoughts processed. First Tina? Now his parents?

"Oh!" Tina said, and slapped his thigh harder than she probably intended, "You'll get to meet RJ!" She beamed at him.

"Is that like your cat or something?"

"Nooooope! RJ is the love of my life, you'll adore him, I promise! I'm going to go now, there's someone at your door, but here's the address! We expect you at 5, no excuses! And fix your… entire appearance, you look ridiculous."

With that she left, but whoever was at the door didn't come in.

Ridiculous? Why did he look… oh. Ren realized neither his hair nor his eyes were their natural colours. He'd fix that before he'd leave tonight. Anyway, who was this RJ? How could she just replace Rick? Was he supposed to make friends with this jerk? And he'd be seeing his parents tonight… his mother in person for the first time in… What would he do? What was the acceptable thing to do? He honestly didn't have even the slightest… Who was RJ? How could anyone take Rick's place?

He was up and pacing when he heard a knock on the door.

 **Thank you for reading! As always, feedback (the good the bad and the ugly) are all welcome! Even just on formatting or something, I've never written before.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Skip Beat! or its characters**

 **One may call Kyoko out of character here, but I think she's just developing from pushing down her feelings to giving them some acknowledgment. Tina's going to be very mom with her.**

Kyoko was blushing nervously when she arrived a Tsuruga-san's dressing room. She pushed the door open a little. She saw a lady she didn't know sitting very close to Tsuruga-san. Were they holding hands? She closed the door a bit and started to walk back down the hall, unsure what to do with the _Gelée au Vin_ she had prepared for Tsuruga-san.

"He-el-lo" shouted a voice in pretty poor Japanese. There were running footsteps behind her.

She stopped and did her best to put on a smile.

"Hello," she replied, but in English.

The woman relaxed and smiled at her. Then her eyebrows creased in worry.

"Are you the girl from earlier today the weird guy attacked?"

"Attacked?"

"Were you kissed by someone, but they were being mean about it?"

"Yes, but I don't know if that's called attacking!"

"I don't see why it wouldn't be. How are you doing now?"

"Oh, I'm fine ma'am…" She remembered how Sho had made her feel and felt a small headache arise. "But I'm an actress! Part of my job is kissing people I don't necessarily like so it's no big deal…" She looked at her shoes. "If I let this bug me it would be unprofessional."

Chris thought this girl sounded like she was just reciting things someone else, who must suck a lot, told her.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Mogami Kyoko. Who are you?"

"Chris. Listen Kyoko, even if other people tell you to stop thinking about something, that doesn't make the problem stop existing. That boy did not seem like an actor, so you were in no way required to accept his kiss. Good for you shoving him away! He should have apologised for violating you as soon as he saw you were upset. Since he didn't, that means you were attacked on purpose and whoever told you it's unprofessional to get upset about that can go fuck themselves!"

Kyoko didn't understand a few of those words, but the rest of the speech moved her. She felt the hot pressure of tears she had been trying to push down behind her eyes. She sat down against the wall and allowed a few tears to escape.

Chris sat down next to her and waited.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"…not really…"

"You know, I'm not an actress, but allowing yourself to really feel emotions like this will help you get into the minds of different characters. You know, like, the broader your experiences are the more overlap between your experience and other people's. Like, I like when I watch TV and see that the character is feeling things the same way I do. It makes me feel connected to them. Everyone goes through a lot at some point. You aren't alone in feeling as you feel and through your acting you can reach out to people like you and show them they're not alone too."

Kyoko tried to process this. She didn't know what to feel anymore. She understood that she was mad and hurt and now it was ok to feel that, but what was confusing her was Tsuruga-san. If she doubted his advice did that mean she was doubting him? She still felt loyal to him but she did believe he was wrong this time. Did that mean she didn't love him after all? Had she still not regained that missing emotion?

"You still seem upset. What is it?"

"You're friends with Tsuruga-san, right?"

"Why what's up?"

"He always gives me my acting advice but this time I listened to you and it made me disagree with him and now I'm worried I was wrong about him, and I was wrong about my judgement because his advice was always so important to me-"

Kyoko was crying openly now.

"Hey," Chris said as soothingly as she could, "People can't be perfect all the time. Tse- Turu- your friend can still be a great friend even if they aren't perfect all the time. Friendships aren't about having answers for the other person all the time, it's about finding them together. He meant to help you because he cares about you. Getting advice is great but you need to think about your beliefs too when you choose what you do.

"Want my number? Just in case you change your mind about talking."

"I don't want to drag you into my problems…"

"It's ok! I don't have any girlfriends in Japan. It would be an honor if you'd be my first." She smiled.

Kyoko met her eyes, wiped her face were her sleeve, returned the smile and accepted the small piece of paper.

Christina Brown

075-555-3568

"What you got there?" Chris asked her.

"Oh! It's called Gelée au Vin, I made it for Tsuruga-san since he doesn't like sweets."

Chris got up on her knees, brimming with excitement.

"Omigosh, are you guys dating?!"

Kyoko blushed deeply, "Oh, no! He's my mentor I just respect him a lot."

"Oops, sorry to make that awkward." Chris laughed, only partly sorry. Kyoko tried to join in, weakly. The two girls stood.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from surprising your _mentor_ any longer, so let's just wipe those eyes, fix that loose hair, there! You're perfect."

Kyoko started walking over.

"Hey Kyoko? Don't let anyone toxic make you feel small. It was nice to meet you."

Chris walked away a bit then turned, making the hand gesture for a phone.

"Hey, Kyoko? Let me know has this goes." With a final smile, Chris turned a corner and left Kyoko to her mission.

 **Ok guys, this is it! Next chapter Kyoko and Ren finally get some alone time. I hope you stay tuned for it, thanks for your patience 3 xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi friends. I just wanted to clear up, all those times my author's notes had random 3's, I meant to have hearts. (*blushes*)**

 _Friendships aren't about having answers for the other person all the time, it's about finding them together._

Chris' words stayed with Kyoko as she walked back down the hall. Friends? How could she and Tsuruga-san be friends? She was just a little mentee to him. She sighed, and knocked on the door.

Ren pulled himself out of his thoughts, put on his best charming smile and answered the door.

"Mogami-san! How-"

His smile faltered. He could see that even though she was smiling her eyes were red as though she had been crying.

"Please come in and have a seat."

He stood back for her to enter. He felt bad for lecturing her when she was so clearly upset. The lecture clearly hadn't worked and now she was likely to not open up to him about it.

He stood in front of where she was seated.

"Mogami-san, I owe you an apology." He bowed.

"Oh, no, no Tsuruga-"

He looked up at her. His face was serious. She fell silent again. He came and sat next to her.

"Really, Tsuruga-san, you were just being my mentor so it's ok!" She smiled, but then looked down at her knees.

"Maybe so but, I feel I failed you as a friend. Kyoko," he picked up her hand. She met his eyes.

"If I ever see someone hurt you again, I promise to scold them, not you."

Kyoko didn't know what to say. Friends? Did he really see her like that? She squeezed his hand back.

Ren couldn't believe it. She was holding his hand. She wasn't scared, she didn't see him as a distant mentor. He smiled at her. She smiled back. He leaned his face in towards hers-

"Oh Tsuruga-san! I have something for you!"

He sat up abruptly and put his charming smile back on as she let go of his hand to pick up a goblet he didn't notice her set down earlier.

"It's called _Gelée au Vin_. I didn't think you'd like chocolate but it's Valentine's Day and I wanted you to have something special-"Her little speech ended in some vague noises. She wasn't sure if she should say _because we're friends_ or b _ecause you're important to me_ but she didn't want to say _because you're my mentor_ anymore when he had called her a friend. It was just that she didn't feel ready to cross that line herself yet, though she was happy to hear it from him.

In Ren's head, all he could think was _Aww, she made me, aw I feel special, no, don't think that! But she made this for me, aw, she looks so cute right now, aw she put in so much effort this looks amazing! Wait, that was good, I should say that part out loud._

"Mogami-san, this looks amazing! You put in so much attention to detail!"

He took a spoonful. She shifted nervously in her seat.

"That was delicious! Thank you, Mogami-san!"

"I'm so glad!" Kyoko beamed. And beamed, and beamed.

Ren could see she was upset. He placed his spoon in the empty goblet, and wiped is lips on a serviette. He wasn't sure if this was going to be his smartest plan but it felt right. He brushed her bangs aside and kissed her on the forehead.

Needless to say she was surprised. She had honestly stopped paying attention to Tsuruga-san, her mind was back on the events of the morning. When he pulled away she just looked up at him, and put her palm over where he had kissed her.

"Tell me what's wrong, Kyoko."

Her first name. No honorific. She continued to stare.

"It's ok to be upset."

He paused.

"I know I wasn't understanding this morning but I'll listen now. I hate seeing you upset, please tell me what's wrong.

Kyoko thought about Shotaro kissing her. How she was worried she might never be rid of him.

"It's just that I've come so far into my new life and Shotaro keeps coming back. I thought I was far enough away that he wouldn't be a part of my life anymore but I still can't escape my past."

Urgh! She was crying again and this time in front of Tsuruga-san! Worried, she looked up at him. He didn't look grossed out like Shotaro did whenever she cried. First his eyes had filled with sympathy, but now he was looking down at his lap.

"I know what you mean," he said, and put an arm around her.

She was thoroughly confused, but the gesture was comforting. He rubbed her shoulder as she tried the last of her tears.

"I met Chris."

"Who?"

"She was visiting you…" she squirmed away from his arm. "Do you really forget all the girls you bring here?"

"No, no, Kyoko," he saw her frown at that, "Mogami-san, no. I just call her Tina, that's the second part of her name. Honestly, the only people who haven't been here just for business are her and you."

"Right. Well, she was very nice."

"Right."

There was a silence.

"Well!" Kyoko declared, "I should go!"

"Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine!"

She was being formal again. Ren felt like he really screwed up. He grabbed her hand.

"Mogami-san I'm really sorry for everything today."

She pulled her hand away. Smiled a small smile, nodded, and left.

 **I** **realize** **a lot of my chapters have had crying. I love crying. Not because sadness is nice but the big cathartic release is so refreshing. I think a lot of the characters need that.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! This chapter is pretty short, but the next one will be long.**

When Chris got back to the hotel room Julie was already starting on the pizza dough.

"Where are the boys?"

"Kuu took RJ to the park. It's just as well, he'd just steal the toppings. Kuu that is, RJ's pretty well behaved."

The two women laughed.

"The supplies for toppings are in the fridge, could you start shredding the cheese?"

"Sure thing!"

There was a brief silence in the kitchen as Chris situated herself further down the counter with her supplies. She began to work.

"Christina?"

Chris looked up.

"How was he?"

Chris put down the cheese and grater.

"He was surprised to say the least. I think he hasn't fully recovered from everything that happened. He's successful in his new life though, _and_ when I left there was a cute girl waiting for him!"

Chris' eyes sparkled teasingly, but she saw that Julie's brow was still furrowed.

"It'll be ok Julie. You're a family! Yes, the past is messy but we're here now to make that right."

The women hugged. The door burst open revealing Kuu Hizuri and a very small four year old. Both were speaking excitedly in Japanese. Chris had asked Kuu to teach RJ starting shortly after his birth. She figured the more skills he could have the brighter his future would be.

"Mommy!" RJ ran across the hotel room to hug Chris' legs.

"Hey Ricky-Baby!" she picked up her son. "Did you have fun with Grandpa Kuu? Gasp! You still have your snowy boots on! Let's go get your outside things off."

"Grandpa, grandpa took me, took me to the park!" RJ told as his mom helped him out of his coat. "The slide was all snowy so it was a snow slide. Then we throwed snowballs," -off came a boot.

"You and Grandpa threw snowballs?"

"Yes! And I threwed mine higher but Grandpa, but Grandpa throwed his further. And Grandpa said, he said Uncle Kuon is coming!" He looked up panting and rosy-cheeked at his mom.

Chris laughed.

"Yep, and we're going to have pizza! If you go wash your hands you can help Grandma and I decorate the pizzas special for Uncle Kuon."

"Sounds great!" Kuu grinned.

"Not you!" Said Julie, "You get to set the table!"

The pizzas were all "decorated" and in the oven by 4:30. Chris and RJ played with a toy train set while they waited for Kuon. Every few minutes he would go over to the window to check if his uncle was there yet. This made Chris laugh a little, since RJ wouldn't know what Kuon looked like, but she didn't let him see her laughter.

At 5 o'clock the pizzas were all cooked and sliced.

At 5:10 Julie Hizuri was worried. Chris was trying to remain optimistic for everyone, but she was concerned as well. She checked her phone and noticed a missed call from an unknown number. She told the others to start on the veggies and dip appetizer while she went into her room to check her messages.

"You have one new message. First new message:

'Hi, Chris? This is Mogami Kyoko. Um, I just wanted to let you know Tsuruga-san liked the _Gelée au Vin_ and to say thanks for being nice earlier. Um, I guess that's it… bye."

As she was about to call Kyoko back a new call arrived.

"Hello?"

"Hi it's… me. I'm in the lobby, sorry I was running late. Which room are you guys again?'

"You wait there, I'll come get you." She thought he may need a pep talk.

"Alright, thank you. See you soon."

 **If anyone's interested in bouncing ideas around please PM me! I have ideas for two paths and need to pick one for the update after next. Thanks for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi friends, thanks for your continued support. Not gonna lie, this chapter is sad. Next chapter has a pizza party so please don't give up!**

Kuon's curfew was half an hour ago, and Julie was aggravated. He never listened to her anymore!

She heard the door open.

"Kuon? Is that you?"

"No baby, it's me. Sorry work went so late." There was a pause while Kuu checked his watch.

"He sure is out late! Did he call?"

"No! I've called him a few times but he's not picking up."

Her husband pulled her into a hug.

"Well, I guess he's a teenager now, he just needs some room to grow! I'm sure he's fine, he has a good group of friends. He's just trying out the world that's all."

Julie allowed herself to be talked down, but the worries remained in her mind. Did he have friends? Sure there was Rick but they had such a large age gap was that really the same thing? And all Kuon's other friends were just Rick's friends. Rick and his girlfriend Christina spent a lot of time at their mansion and were very nice people, but all the same Kuon was really starting to act out.

10:53pm

 _Hey baby, it's Mum. You have school in the morning so come home soon ok? I love you._

11:26pm

 _Kuon, your father and I are very concerned. Please return our messages so we know that you are alright._

11: 54pm

 _Kuon. Call us. "Yes Mom."_

12:36am

 _*Sobbing* Baby I just hope you're ok, please come home. Did I do something wrong?_

1:03am

 _Kuon this behaviour is completely unacceptable, I expected you to be more responsible._

1:30am

 _Kuon, if you are not home in one hour I am calling the police._

At 2:15am Mr. and Mrs. Hizuri were sharing a bottle of wine with the telephone set down on the table between them.

"I'm-"

"Don't say you're sure he's fine how the hell can you be sure he's fine why are you making me wait to report him missing what the hell kind of parents do that?"

"Julie Baby-"

The front door opened for the second time that night. The parents rushed to their foyer to see their son drenched in blood, the soul gone from his eyes.

A week had passed since Rick had been killed in the accident. Julie had requested the afternoon off so she could join her family at his funeral. When she got home she went to Kuon's room to check on him, but he must have been off on another walk. At first the new behaviour had concerned her, but Kuu insisted it would help him work through his loss. She instead went to the master bedroom where her husband was already changing into a suit. She walked over and kissed him.

"Hey Baby."

He gave her a little half smile which she returned. They finished getting ready in silence.

When it was time to leave, Kuon still wasn't back. When she asked her husband about it he said they had talked and decided Kuon wouldn't be going with them. Julie assumed this meant he would meet them there.

Most of the other people at the service were in their late teens or early twenties. Rick's parents had died when he was in high school, and he and Tina lived together. Julie saw her sitting at the front of the church with some ladies she didn't know. She looked around, but didn't see her son.

"When do you think Kuon will get here?" she asked Kuu.

"This is hard on him, he could be late."

"I guess so…"

The service passed but Julie never saw Kuon. When most of the people left her husband put a hand on her back.

"I need to tell you something."

Julie became very still.

"Is Kuon ok?"

"He's fine… we spoke and he decided it would be good for him to spend time with Lory while he got into a better space."

Julie's nostrils flared.

"You mean to tell me," she whispered, "Our son has gone to Japan and I was not part of this decision?"

Kuu swallowed.

"You _lied_ to me. Forget it. Give me the keys."

He gave them to her and she left. When he got home he found a note saying she would be at her sister's.

Tina was seven months pregnant and thought she was going to burst. Like, she had never had to pee so badly in her life. She ducked into a fast food restaurant quickly to borrow their bathroom.

"No loitering."

"I'm here for your bathroom. Please, this baby is putting soooo much pressure on my bladder."

"Are you going to buy anything?"

Tina fumbled for words.

"Er- I don't have any money on me…"

"Christina?"

Tina spun around and saw a woman who seemed familiar.

"It's me, Julie Hizuri."

Tina's eyes widened. Sure, Julie didn't look as rough as she did, but the super model was barely recognizable. What was she doing in a fast food joint? Was Kuon with her? Tina didn't feel ready for that reunion.

"I didn't know you were pregnant! When are you due?"

"In about two months."

Her eyes water a little. She was genuinely concerned she would wet herself. She looked back to where the surly worker was but he had gone, presumably when the second woman approached. Julie saw her eyeing the washroom door. She laughed.

"I remember when I was pregnant with Kuon. Go ahead, how about I get us some tea for when you're done?"

When the two women talked, Julie learned Tina had been staying at a women's shelter. This led her to offer her Kuon's old room. When they arrived back at the Hizuri mansion, Kuu was overjoyed to welcome his wife and new daughter home. And that is how Tina and later RJ joined with the Hizuri family.

 **How are you guys doing? I know that was hard, but it had to happen sooner or later. Next chapter Ren meets his nephew!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi you guys! Thanks for the continued support. This chapter took a little while because a) it's relatively long and b) my school life is picking up. A lot happens, I hope you enjoy it!**

Chris got off the elevator and saw the Kuon she remembered all grown up. She sighed a little. RJ was also getting so big, one day he'd be all grown up like Kuon… Oops, she was staring. Kuon walked over to her with a furrowed brow.

"Ready to go?" she smiled.

He ruffled his hair.

"My parents and I agreed we would meet again when I was ready, I don't understand why they suddenly decided to go against that."

Chris was genuinely surprised. Why did that agreement even happen? It was just stupid. Well, maybe she should check if there was an actual not stupid explanation.

Trying to keep judgement out of her voice she said, "When were you going to be ready?"

He didn't answer. She tried again.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty one."

"Rick died at eighteen."

That hit Ren hard. What _was_ he doing? It always made sense before. Lately nothing made sense anymore, he was so confused. Who was he even, Ren or just Kuon?

Tina grabbed his hand.

"Please don't miss this chance to be with your family. Everything will be fine, since everyone loves you."

Ren didn't feel ready to accept love from the people he walked out on. What would he even say to them? Tina started swinging his arm back and forth.

"Come on, everyone's waiting! Your mom and I made pizza… bet you missed her cooking, eh?" She winked, he laughed and they got on the elevator.

Julie was pacing. Kuu was eating. RJ was standing by the door waiting to meet his Uncle Kuon. When the door opened he beamed and held out a picture he made in both hands.

Ren saw his mom stop pacing to look at him. She smiled tearfully. Kuu looked up from his celery sticks and grinned.

A small voice interrupted his visual sweep of the hotel room.

"Excuse me, Uncle Kuon? I made this for you."

He looked down. He stared. Before him was a tiny male Tina with Rick's eyes. He was holding out an orange piece of construction paper. Ren took it and smiled at the boy, but uncertainly. He looked up to Julie, who was still standing back. They had agreed to let RJ greet him first.

"May I introduce," Tina said, walking to the boy's side, "My son, Rick Junior?"

Ren crouched down to the boy's height.

"Hi Rick," he said, feeling flabbergasted, "It's nice to meet you."

RJ threw his arms around his uncle's neck.

"Do you like the picture?" He beamed.

Ren looked at the scribbles, pursed his lips and looked at Tina.

"Why don't you tell Uncle Kuon about your picture?"

"Ok! That's me, that's you and mom and we're all holding hands. Up there is dad and the heart means he loved us. Oh, there's a note on the back."

Ren swallowed on his building emotions and turned the paper over.

Dear UNcLe KUoN

i Lov U aLrede

Lov rJ

He stared for a few moments. Since his uncle wasn't saying anything, RJ asked if he liked it. Ren looked back up and nodded.

"Well, dinner is almost ready and you know what that means Ricky Baby. Hands! Let's go wash up."

Tina escorted RJ away to give Kuon some privacy with his parents.

When they left, Julie and Kuu approached their son.

"Hey Baby," Julie caressed his face and stared indulgingly at him.

"…Hi… Mom." He ran his hand through his hair, and then after a moment's hesitation pulled her into a hug which she welcomed with all her heart. Kuu joined them, the family was reunited.

When they broke apart, Ren said, "Mom, I'm so sorry. I couldn't handle things the way they were and for a while I did need space but after that I just didn't know when to stop… thank you for coming."

Julie was crying freely now, but beaming. She had been worried Kuon would be angry but this had gone over really well. She pulled him into another hug to show her enthusiasm.

"We'll talk about the serious things after dinner, your father and I have something important to discuss with you, but first, pizza! Let's go wash hands."

Ren assumed they wanted to talk him into returning to the states, so he was only too happy to put off that conversation.

When Ren finished his first slice (and his father finished his third pizza), he asked everyone why they chose now to come to Japan.

"Well," Tina answered, "Ricky's going to start school in September, so I applied to go back to school too. I'd been finishing high school part time since he was about one and am going to get a degree in Social Work. We figured we'd get a big family trip in and," she winked, "Couldn't think of anywhere we'd rather go."

Ren processed that. It made sense.

"So RJ," he asked, "Are you getting excited for school?"

His uncle was asking about him. That must means he likes him! Yay! He smiled.

Ren wasn't sure what to do next. He tried to start up a conversation but all the kid was doing was smiling. He looked to Tina.

"Tell Uncle Kuon about your new school," Julie chimed in.

"Oh, ya!" RJ blushed. "It's really big and I'll get to paint sometimes so it'll be really fun! My teacher is Ms. P. and she's nice like grandma. I'll get to play with lots of kids!"

Grandma? Oh wow. His mother was a grandmother. Ren felt old, and a little like he was missing something.

"That's great to hear buddy, I hope you have a blast!"

Just then, he noticed his father was missing. The lights went out.

"Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Kuon,

Happy Birthday to you!"

Kuu walked out with a large tray of cupcakes, one of which had a candle. Ren recovered from his surprise.

"Make a wish!" Julie and RJ both said.

Ren carefully considered his wish, smiled, and blew out the candle.

Kuu turned the lights back on, and with much laughter the family finished their meal.

The Hizuri family did the dishes while Chris helped RJ get ready for bed. It was a lengthy process usually, tonight a little worse because of all the excitement. RJ wanted his uncle to help tuck him in, but she knew Julie and Kuu wanted to have _the talk_ with him.

In the other room, Ren was bracing himself for the inevitable moment when his parents would attempt to talk him into returning to America.

"Kuon, your father and I would like to talk to you about something."

His dad looked uncharacteristically serious. Cautiously, Ren followed his parents into the living room, where they seated themselves.

His mom took a deep breath.

"When Chris first came to live with us, she was having a really hard time dealing with losing Rick," she swallowed.

Ren wondered where this was going.

His dad continued the thought.

"She told us we could say, Chris has PTSD and it's entirely possible you do too. We support your new career however we are worried that you never got the care you needed. Please, as a special favour to your mom and dad, promise to book a doctor's appointment about this?"

"Oh!" This was not what Ren expected at all. He wasn't really open to the idea that he could get sick, but if it happened once…

"Sure, I can do that."

Ren had a lot on his mind during the walk from the hotel to where his car was parked. Those thoughts were interrupted however by a voice crying, "Corn!"

 **Gee, I wonder what Ren wished for? Thanks for reading! And thanks to the people who have reviewed, you're my inspiration.**

 **Just wanted to let you know, I'm starting another Skip Beat fanfic. It's a crossover called Kylo Ren Tsuruga. All I have out is the teaser right now but I'll work on it! I promise to keep up with this story too though.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the slow update! I'm a student and the semester is wrapping up so there's lots to do.**

Kyoko had had a rough day. First she'd been bullied by those horrible rock stars, and then things had gone… strangely with Tsuruga-san. It was the first time she questioned him as a mentor. And then she had seen him with Chris and they seemed so close, but Chris seemed to think Kyoko was seeing Tsuruga-san which was ridiculous! Why would he be interested in someone who was essentially his student? Besides, she knew he already had feelings for a stranger, he had told her when she was Bo. There was no denying it anymore though. When he had kissed her she felt all the locks she had encased her heart within spring wide open. She loved Tsuruga-san. And it was completely hopeless. This hurt more than with Shotaro because at least she could hate him. Now she had to face him politely despite everything. She had been so awkward after the kiss! Why did he have to be such a playboy? Kissing her, holding her hand. How was she supposed to face him after that?

Kyoko brushed away some tears as she continued her walk back from the corner store. Then she remembered something else. He had called her by her first name, he had called them friends. That was so strange to her, she could not understand what would lead him to do that. Maybe he was on the rebound?

She was trying to think more into it when she saw a familiar face waiting at a stoplight, golden hair sparkling in the snow.

"Corn!" she cried out.

The man turned, wide eyed to face her and she ran into his chest for a hug.

"Corn, I'm so happy you're here! You always come right when I need you. I was worried about you too, someone told me you may have died and… I felt so sad. I'm so glad you're safe."

She smiled up at him.

Ren was trying to do some quick thinking. However, excuses didn't seem important because:

"You're eyes are red," his hands cupped her face, and she rested her hands on his wrists.

She looked into his emerald eyes and tried to think of how to explain.

"You're hands are cold Corn! Let's go buy tea."

He slipped his hand into hers and told her to lead the way, but subtly steered her away from the direction of his car.

The café they entered was styled like an Italian piazza*, complete with a mural of a fountain. Kyoko was already smiling over its beauty. Ren shifted in her hand. Would she recognise his touch? How should he proceed? He was too exhausted to lie.

"Kyoko-chan, why were you crying?"

She extracted her hand from his to rest her chin pensively in her palms.

"It's a bit of a long story," she said.

"I always have time for you." He might as well gush while he could.

"Do you remember Shotaro? We lived together for a little while but then he hurt me and left. Today he tried to come back and I'm so angry!" Should she tell him about Tsuruga-san? She looked at him again, hard.

"Kyoko-chan-"

"Why do you look like Tsuruga-san?"

Ren froze. He took a deep breath.

"Kyoko-chan, if I tell you a story will you listen to the end?"

She folded her arm, but her eyebrows creased and she nodded.

Ren swallowed, he hated to see such uneasy features on her gentle face.

"The first thing I want you to know is that I love you and I always will. Shotaro is a fool for ever hurting you."

He looked up for a reaction. She was smiling sadly into her lap. She looked up when he didn't continue speaking. He had been struck dumb with how beautiful she was when she cried.

Oh. Was that the whole story? Kyoko supposed she should say something now.

"I'm happy about your feelings…"

Ren snapped out of his tranced and looked at her hopefully.

"…but I can't return them right now."

Ren nodded. Confession rejected, he felt little to lose so he continued.

"Kyoko-chan, I'm not a fairy. I'm an American who's good at jumping."

He gave her a sideways smile. Kyoko was filled with disappointment. Well, at least he told her on his own. Maybe it was stupid to still believe in fairies. She rested her head in her hands and promptly forgot about the man across from her as she pondered reality.

Ren felt guilty for breaking her innocent dreams.

"Kyoko-chan?"

She jerked back to reality, but her mind was still whirring from all the new information.

"Is Corn your real name?"

"No…" Ren answered. "My name is Kuon Hizuri."

 ***Piazza means town square (I didn't just misspell pizza, although a pizza themed cafe would be hilarious). North America doesn't really have many. Maybe in Atlantic coastal cities.**

 **Thanks for reading guys! Please review or message me, I would love your input and ideas** **J**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thought unrelated to the story, do you think Kuon/Corn might be pronounced "Colin" in English?**

"Eh?"

Kuon Hizuri, that was Hizuri Kuu's son. She thought he was dead.

In her silence, Ren continued. Kyoko was feeling guarded, so she listened in silence so she wouldn't miss any information. When he was done she would make her decision.

"I know you were under the impression Kuon Hizuri died, and I suppose in a manner of speaking that may be true. I left home at around fifteen and severed contact with most of the people in my life, with the exception of a family friend whose care I went into. This was after… an incident…"

He took a deep breath.

"My best friend when I was a teenager was almost an older brother figure in my life. He came from a different world than me, it was exciting and I quickly got caught up in it. Well, an over romanticised version of it. He taught me how to fight and I loved it. It was… a release. I don't know, I just needed that. Eventually, I actually went looking for fights. First it was amongst friends, but they would get tired and I'd still want to go. So I made some enemies. Over time, these enemies became older and… more dangerous."

He wasn't looking at Kyoko anymore, his gaze was just fixated on his half emptied glass of water. His voice raised a pitch.

"One night, I had a run in with a whole gang of these enemies. I had such a bad temper. I took on most of them, but one was getting away. Rick and Tina had been looking for me and found me when I was going after that guy. They begged me to give it up but I… I don't know why I just wouldn't. He crossed a street and I went after him. Apparently Rick tried to follow after me, but a car came…"

Ren's face was pale. He sat, still, focusing on the condensation rolling down the sides of the cup. The puddle at its base pooling like Rick's spilt blood that night.

"There was so much blood," he whispered.

Kyoko had started crying. She was trying to be quiet, but sniffed noisily. The sound brought Ren back to her.

"I'm tired," he said. He was. He was completely emotionally drained, Kyoko could see it in his face. She went to his side and helped him to a standing position. He was looking at the glass again.

"How far from here do you live? I can walk you home," she offered.

Ren did some thinking.

"I know somewhere that would be good."

Kyoko had hesitations about letting Kuon lead the way; he did not seem in the right state of mind to be oriented. However, since he was obeying pedestrian rules and navigating around other people unassisted, she relaxed and allowed herself to instead ponder the new information. The story hadn't been completely clear, he especially stopped making sense near the end. A theory was coming together in her mind. Fragmented pieces coming together, beginning to spin a web. It was completely mad, yet the pieces were clicking perfectly together…

Kuon tugged her hand in the direction of a hotel. The final piece clicked.

"You playboy! I cannot believe you would try to take me to a hotel! I'll have you know, sir, I am a PURE maiden and-"

Ren resisted the urge to either face palm or laugh. They were both good options, however, he spoke instead.

"My parents are staying here. I thought you would like to see my father again."

He winced when he noticed his slip up. _See my father_ again. She didn't seem confused however. They "playboy" comment made sense now. He let out a small, sad laugh as he let go of her hand.

"Sorry Mogami-san."

"I think I understand."

They stood silently looking at their feet for a few moments.

"Let's go see your- _our_ parents," Kyoko smiled at him, breaking the tension. Sure she was disappointed her long lost friend hadn't made contact with her when he could have, but she couldn't push her sempai when he was clearly vulnerable.

When they arrived at the Hizuri family's hotel room, Tina and RJ were both in bed already. A surprised Kuu opened the door.

"Kuon! What are you doing…" he noticed Kyoko.

"Uh… I mean Tsuruga-san! Um… Julie!"

Kuu wasn't sure what Kuon had told Kyoko, and the best actor in the world wasn't at his best after midnight.

Julie arrived casually armed with a frying pan.

"Oh! Hello dear. Eee! You brought a GIRL!"

She handed the frying pan off to her husband and rushed to Kyoko, pressing a kiss to each of her cheeks.

"I want to hear all about you! How did you too meet? What do you do? Does he eat enough? Does he take you on proper dates?"

"Moooooom," Kuon said in an ever so mature voice that brought tears to Julie's eyes. How she missed this! She imagined what prom could have been like- no. No use thinking about what might have been. Come to think of it, had Kuon even finished high school?

"Mom?" Kuon said again. Julie hadn't noticed how distracted in her thoughts she had become.

"Sorry dear, it's late, your father and I were going to head to bed. Um, let's see, there aren't enough beds for everyone, but the couch in the living room folds out into a pull out. You can sleep out here and we'll talk in the morning?

Kuon was startled by this and opened his mouth to explain that the arrangement suggested would not be proper, but before he could Kyoko gave and affirmative. He shot a questioning look her way and saw she was asleep on her feet.

"Alright," Julie said, "We'll see you both in the morning."

She gave both Kuon and Kyoko a hug.

"Come on, Kuu."

Kuu stared at the frying pan questioningly a few moments longer, then put it away and followed his wife to their room.

Kyoko, practically sleep walking, made her way to the living room, where she looked around in confusion.

"Here, I'll set up your bed," said Kuon with slight emphasis on the word "your." Kyoko nodded and sat down right on the floor.

Kuon chuckled quietly at her behaviour. Sleepy Kyoko was adorable! A short while later the bed was set up with just the pillows missing. He went to the closet but he only found one pillow.

"Hey Kyoko, I only found one pillow…" he blushed at his words, they seemed like a conversation a real couple would have. When he returned Kyoko had already tucked herself in. She sleepily raised her head, hair already messy. His blush deepened. Silently she pulled back the blankets so he could sit down.

"Um," Kuon said aloud, before sitting down. She took the pillow from him and threw it behind him. Then she pushed his head down into it and laid her on head on his chest, one arm wrapped around him.

"Um," Kuon repeated eloquently.

"Shh Ren I wanna sleep," Kyoko whined. Kuon believed her. He decided to just sneak out in the morning so she wouldn't be upset. Sleepy Kyoko was certainly interesting.

 **Sorry about that haitus! I will try to be a nicer author. :p**


	11. Chapter 11

**There's gender segregation in this chapter. It just kind of happened, sorry if it bugs anyone.**

Kyoko awoke in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room next to an unfamiliar mop of hair. The mop of hair kept bobbing in and out of her view, as if the surrounding blankets were being moved by the deep and even breaths of a sleeping person. But no, the blankets were stationary when she compared them with the equally stationary walls. She peered over the side of the bed, and something hard collided with her skull!

"Ouch!" Kyoko cried.

"MOOOOOOOMYYYYYYYY!" a small boy now sitting on the floor holding his forehead cried.

A familiar woman swept into the room.

"What happened, baby?" She asked the child. Kyoko recognised her as Chris, the lady she met yesterday. This morning she was dressed in a tracksuit though, with messy hair.

"I hit my head," he sobbed, gasping between each word.

"I'll kiss it better, but please remember to give people privacy when they are sleeping."

The boy nodded, and stopped crying the moment his mother's lips touched his forehead.

"Want to read stories?" he suddenly asked Kyoko, showing her a book. "Uncle Kuon says you love stories!"

Kyoko's head spun a little, possibly from the earlier impact but possibly from the rather excitable child. He was holding out a book of fairy tales. Her decision was an easy one.

Chris reminded RJ to use his manners, then helped him onto the bed. The three of them then enjoyed the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, as read by Kyoko. Ricky was captivated by The Cloak of Invisibility the beggar woman had given the kindly man. He wrapped himself in the blankets of the pullout for the remainder of the story. Kyoko herself was swept away by the glorious balls and magical forests the princesses experienced, imagining herself twirling until she wore through her slippers. At some point during the story the Hizuri's gathered in the doorway to the living room to listen too.

It was only after the story ended that Kyoko realised she had no understanding of the situation she was in. For one, she was in a strange room. Secondly, she didn't know most of the people present.

"That was lovely, Kyoko dear!" Julie exclaimed.

Kyoko blinked at her. Kuu nudged Kuon and told him to get her back up to speed. He then gathered his grandson in his arms and suggested they all get ready for breakfast, which made most in the room grin knowingly.

"What do you say Ricky?" Chris reminded him.

"Thank you Aunty!"

Kyoko continued to present a vacant expression. When everyone else had left she spotted Corn. She must be in a fairy world! There was a lot less nature than she expected, and she was disappointed in the plain costumes the fairies wore.

Kuon grinned at the teenager as her sat down on the bed.

"What do you remember from yesterday?" He looked forward to seeing her face when she realised she was with her "father" again, that she had found her fairy prince, that they had spent the night together. He was very distraught when her face darkened dramatically.

"Shotaro…" she practically growled. His heart fell. Out of everything that happened, that boy was the first on her mind? He sighed and stared at his lap.

"Do you remember how you got here?"

She didn't answer so he looked her way again. He was marginally encouraged by the reappearance of her stunned expression. Kuon laughed half-heartedly, and gave her a brief summary. He gave much less emphasis on Rick's accident and a complete omission of their sleeping arrangements but did confirm his tridentity. He sat back while she processed.

"What's happening now?" The past was too much, Kyoko decided to deal with the present and stew later.

"Everyone is waiting in the kitchen to have breakfast together… if Dad left any food for us," Kuon gave a little laugh.

Kyoko was very tense. She was comfortable with Kuu and Chris, the child and other woman seemed nice enough, but she was completely thrown by the man in front of her. He was her sempai! That was such an easy-to-define relationship! It was safe, she understood it and its limitations. Now… she didn't now anymore! She should be happy, she recently admitted her feelings for him, but it was all too weird! Actually, she would probably be **more** comfortably if all the less familiar people were with them again.

"May I freshen up first?"

"Sure, that should be fine. Um, I can ask Mom or Tina if they can lend you clean clothes and anything else you need. The washroom is down the hall."

Kyoko went to the washroom, then proceeded to stand there awkwardly since she had neither a towel nor a toothbrush nor change of clothes. Kuon went to the kitchen and pulled his mom and Chris aside.

"So… she is completely uncomfortable around me."

"Ya. You're super weird," Chris grinned.

"She just needs _time_ to get used to all the changes. Give her space babe," his mother reassured.

Chris looked thoughtful. "Why don't Julie and I spend the day with her? It'll give her time and she'll be able to talk it out with people who already know the situation. Get coffee or something. You can get to know Rick and help him practice Japanese and shit."

"He speaks Japanese?"

"I Rossii," Julie added ("and Russian" in Russian).

"Be a good role model!" Chris kissed him on the cheek and pranced off to see Kyoko.

Kuon rolled his eyes and seated himself at the breakfast table. He poured himself some coffee, then on reflection of his pseudo-sister's request grabbed an apple. He addressed his nephew.

"So RJ… do you like dinosaurs?"

The knock on the bathroom door made Kyoko jump.

"Hey, it's Chris, can I come in?"

"Um, yes," Kyoko said extremely quietly, then called more clearly, "Yes!"

The lady she had met yesterday opened the door and let herself in.

"Crazy seeing you again so soon!" she commented.

Kyoko could only nod in assent. Crazy was a very good word for the past 24 hours.

"Shit!" Chris said suddenly, capturing Kyoko's attention. The older woman's face showed concern and Kyoko couldn't understand what for. Chris grabbed a wad of TP and wiped Kyoko's eyes. She was surprised to feel water move across her cheek.

"I don't really know you yet, but it sounds like you've had a lot going on lately."

The events since she left Sho played through her mind until-

"I didn't tell the couple at the Darumaya I was staying out overnight!"

"Alright, we can take care of that. It's 8 am, they should be awake. You can borrow my phone and call them right now!" Chris smiled reassuringly.

Chris sat quietly while Kyoko called home. The couple were concerned but relaxed at the call. They asked her to tell them ahead of time next time and Kyoko agreed enthusiastically. Chris didn't know any of this because a) she could only hear Kyoko's side of the conversation and b) she only knew manner words in Japanese. However, she was able to identify the 17 times Kyoko apologized, strengthening her hypothesis the younger woman had low self-esteem.

"How did that go?" Chris asked with a smile when Kyoko returned the phone.

"They were very nice. I worried them but they didn't get mad."

"It sounds like they love you a lot."

Kyoko looked a little startled at this, but muttered an affirmative.

"So," Chris cocked her head, "Julie and I were thinking the three of us could have a girls' day. What do you think? Oh! Hat time do you work today?"

"I have to be on set from about three to eight today, but my morning is free."

"Awesome! We'll go out for breakfast. Towels are over here and I brought you some of my clothes… they might be a little big, childbirth and all, but Julie is way taller than either of us. Cool. Need anything else?"

Kyoko said she was fine so Chris left her to it and joined the others.

"Uncle Kuon is taking me to the museum, Mommy!" RJ reported excitedly. Chris beamed at Kuon.

"Isn't that exciting! You'll have to tell me all about it. Kuon, what time do you work today?"

"Three."

"Let's meet up at LME again for lunch at 1:30. Ricky isn't used to eating that late so make sure you have a HEALTHY snack at around ten. Although," she turned back to RJ, "Grandpa will probably need a snack by then too!"

Those visiting from America chuckled at this, but Kuon was still a little shocked after hearing his father be referred to as a grandparent.

Kyoko finished in the shower and came out just as the boys were getting ready to leave. She was dressed in tights and a too-big sweater. Kuon thought she looked adorable. He smiled at her but she only returned it for a second before looking at the walls and then her feet.

"Can I have a hug?" RJ asked her. Kyoko was a little surprised, but knelt down to hug the kid. When they let go, Kuu grinned and also asked for a hug. When they were done, Kuon and Kyoko looked at each other and blushed.

"Talk to you later?" Kuon asked. Kyoko could tell he was trying consciously not to scare her. But then he blanched.

"I didn't top up the parking meter. I think we need a cab."

His father made no effort to hide his amusement.

"Mogami-san may you please call Yashiro and ask him to find my car? I'll call the taxi company…"

"Sure, of course! You go have fun!"

Everyone but RJ, who wasn't paying attention, could tell she was trying to get rid of him. It wasn't like she hated him or anything, far from it, but she wasn't sure how to act round him. She looked up at him and smiled shyly.

"See you soon."

Kuon felt his stomach flip. He nodded too much for the situation. Kuu, Chris and Julie tried very hard to supress their laughter.

When it was only Julie, Chris and Kyoko in the apartment, Kyoko called Yashiro.

"Kyoko-chan! To what do I owe to pleasure?"

"Tsuruga-san asked me to tell you his car got towed, and ask if you would please try to find it?"

"Do you know where he was parked?"

"Um, we're at the Tokyo Imperial Herald Hotel so somewhere nearby…"

There was silence on the other end.

"Yashiro-san?"

"I will do my best Kyoko-chan."

He ended the call.

 **Long time no see! Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Someone once asked why Tina is called Chris in my story. Tina thinks it's a mom name (?) but she was just doing what Kuon did. New identities make it feel like old problems have disappeared. It don't work so good in reality. If you thought it was weird of Tina/Chris, you were right.**

"That was strange…" Kyoko thought out loud, in English for the Americans.

"What happened?" Chris asked.

"I told Tsuruga-san's manager about his car being towed and I think our call was disconnected…"

Julie looked thoughtful.

"We should have him over for dinner. If Kuon's alright with it of course."

Chris changed the subject.

"I'm not a winter woman so how about we all get real cozy with room service!"

Julie agreed enthusiastically, but Kyoko was awkward, not sure how she fit in this group.

After orders were placed and dainty finger foods and tea were delivered, girl talk began.

"So tell me dear," Julie asked Kyoko, "What's the story with you and my Kuon?" Her smile was teasing and Chris leaned forward eager for the gossip. Kyoko became flustered but settled on the truth, from the river in Kyoto to the present day.

"And he told me that he loved me. I don't know what to think."

"He's madly in love with you!" Julie squealed.

Kyoko reddened more than should have been possible.

"And if that's not what he meant," Chris held up a sassy finger, "Who better than a sister and a mother to have by your side?"

She gestured at Julie and herself.

Kyoko's eyes filled with water at the kindness.

"But either way, what do I do?!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Well wait a sec.," Chris cut in. "What do you want your relationship to be like?" Chris sensed by Kyoko's flush she was new to the concept of love which was cute but annoying.

Kyoko was quiet for a long moment.

"I'm scared of changing what we have. I don't want to lose this."

They met in LA Hearts for a late lunch at 1:30 as planned. RJ excitedly told tales of dinosaurs and the kids explore area at the museum Uncle Kuon and Grandpa took him to. Kuon was off getting his hair ready for work. They spent the next few minutes watching RJ tease Grandpa about the disguise the celebrity had to wear, until Mom told him to respect his elders.

Then the workday needed to begin and the Americans departed. They were off to an indoor water park. Kyoko made her way to the set.

Once the day's filming had completed, Ren was approached by Kyoko.  
"Tsuruga-san..."  
"Yes Mogami-san?"  
"May I speak with you in private?"  
The two actors went down to LME's parking garage and found Ren's car.  
They sat in the car a little while.

Unknown to them, someone witnessed these passings and was taking incriminating photos.

"That loose woman," Shotaro grumbled. "Parking with someone in such a public place. And with an older man! I'm just gonna have to-"

His muttering stopped when the car started. Frantically, he scrambled to his own vehicle barking order to follow the pair.

They led him to a hotel. A very fancy hotel. He snapped photos of them entering together, then followed on foot. He was just in time to see the elevator they got on. The dial told him they went to the penthouse. Oh gawd, what were they doing? After pacing a while to build up fuel for his next grand act of stupidity, he hopped on an elevator and pressed P.

Over dinner, there was a knock at the door.  
"Was anyone expecting someone?" Tina asked as she walked to check who it was. She recognized him instantly.

"Mommy will be right back!" She called into the suite as she entered the hallway. She made sure the door was firmly closed.

After twenty or so minutes passed, it was decided Ren go see where Tina went. When he opened the door he found her right away.

"Tina?" He asked in English. "What's going on- oh."  
Cowering on the floor was a shell shocked Fuwa Shotaro.

"Well I have thoroughly enjoyed yelling at him. I don't think he understood the content but the theme seems to have gotten through. I'm going back inside." With a kiss on the cheek she re-entered the apartment. The two men were left alone.

Ren wasn't sure how to play this one. Diplomatic or aggressive? He settled for a non-subtle form of passive aggression.  
"Fuwa-san, what could you be doing here?" He asked with a dazzling smile.  
"Mouth... face... yelling... yelling," Shotaro responded eloquently.  
Ren swallowed his laughter.  
"Perhaps you'd best go home and rest. Good night!" Ren said without leaving room for discussion. From the hallway, the sounds of both locks being closed behind Ren rang in Shotaro's ears.

"That was Fuwa. There will be trouble."  
In answer to Ren's words, the doorknob flew off the front door leaving only the chain lock.

"Kyoko! I know you're in there!" Fuwa let out delusional laughter, a creepy smile on his face. RJ started crying. The singer reached around the door for the other lock. Tina grabbed Kyoko and RJ and locked them in the bathroom.

When Sho had successfully entered the apartment, he found a stern Tsuruga Ren, a beautiful woman on the phone, the crazy ass bitch from before and... an American Film Star? What was happening?  
"Where is Kyoko?!" He demanded. No one answered until-  
"Yes, security to the penthouse immediately."  
Shit.  
Shit.  
Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit.  
Well, Shotaro rationalized to himself as he was thrown onto the curb, It is a mark of a true rock star to be thrown out of a hotel for trashing a room.


	13. Chapter 13

**A short one this time, but I hope you like it all the same.**

After the security personnel had left, Chris rushed to the bathroom to check on her son. She knocked on the door. Ok, it might have counted as pounding.

"Kyoko! It's Chris let me in!"

The door unlocked and she put on Calm Mom Face. The two, still crouched on the floor, searched her face for signs of safety.

"It's alright now." She said. "Let's get you ready for bed." She didn't want her son to see the broken door. The boy was frightened enough as it was. She did indulge and carry him; the night's events had shaken her too.

When the two had left, Ren and their father came to see Kyoko. Julie was speaking with hotel staff about having the broken door replaced. Kyoko rose from her crouched position with the assistance of Kuu.

"My poor Kyoko…" Kuu cooed.

"Mogami-san," A rattled Kuon spoke up. "I'm so sorry. I should have done more! I-"

"What are you saying?" Kyoko exclaimed, surprising everyone including her. She became bashful, and stared at her feet.

"It's just that I…" Kuon searched for words. He resembled a scolded puppy. His self depreciation was evident when she looked up through her eyelashes at him.

"Thank you for standing up for me," she said sweetly. He melted and pulled her to his chest. When she was safely in his arms he started to talk.

"I was so scared for you Kyoko! I hate that man and I hate that you keep being bothered. I wish you could just have a simple, happy life without all that crap. I wish I could do more to protect you. I hate standing on the side not knowing what you want. When he kissed you and you grabbed him… before Tina got there… I thought you were kissing him and I hated it! It's all so stupid I hate it!" he held her at arms length now. "I just want you to have good things in your life," he concluded and stared at the floor, his passion ended.

Apparently, it had transferred to Kyoko. She burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck, her eyes tightly shut in emotion.

"I love you!" she declared.

He skipped a beat, then returned her hug. And they hugged and hugged, not letting go of each other. It was a pretty scene, and since Kyoko's eyes were shut Kuu could capture it from several angles on his smart phone. Then, to show respect to their privacy, he went to the foyer area... to text the photos to Boss.

 **I did not see that coming it just kinda came out of my fingers. I want to end this chapter here although it's short because I think it's a good moment and I want the space of changing chapters so you can bask in their lovey-dovey-ness.**


	14. Chapter 14

"Mommy?"

"Yes Ricky Baby?"

"Is it safe now?"

Chris froze. Never, ever in a parent's life would you want your child to be unsafe, or even feel unsafe.

"Security will be watching over us tonight, don't worry."

"Okay Mommy," her son replied and snuggled closer to her while she lay in bed with him. She usually did so until he fell asleep. Sometimes a little longer too.

"Mommy?"

"Yes Ricky Baby?"

"Does Daddy love me?"

This child and making my heart do flips! Chris thought to herself.

"Of course. He loves us both. You are very special to him. We're a family."

"What about Grandma and Grandpa?"

"They love you too."

"Okay," RJ said, soothed. His eyes fluttered closed. Chris began to think of her late boyfriend.

They'd met at the café Chris where had been working at the time. By this point she'd been living on her own for two years, having moved out at the age of sixteen. He sat at the bar and ordered a café americano. He saturated to concoction with sugar and got super buzzed on the caffeine and sugar. But he paid attention to her, was funny and played it fast and lose with the compliments. About a week after him coming in regularly (she helped him switch to the milder latte) he asked her on a date and she accepted. She was eighteen and he was sixteen. They moved in together as soon as he turned eighteen.

After a little over a year of them dating, Rick met Kuon. He'd felt like a superb mentor, and Kuon did nothing to crush that. Chris didn't mind, she liked it when her honey was happy and Kuon threw some great parties.

The fucking fights though.

The silly boys picked fights on the regular, and it pissed Chris off to no end. Couldn't they see it scared her? What did they have to prove? Wasn't her acknowledgement enough? Of all the stupid ways to go. She loved him but what a fool he was. What kind of a man would he have grown into? What kind of woman would she have grown into if he were still alive? She liked to think he would have been a good father, but she honestly wasn't sure. While she treasured their time together, she did accept fully that he was dead and she wouldn't know what might have been. It was alright though. Unfair, but she had come to terms with her situation. She was a single mom who lived with her late boyfriend's mentee's parents with her son. And dammit, they were a family.

She did ponder her use of Chris over Tina. It had been a way for her to separate this chapter of her life from the previous one. But that was a stupid ass idea. It was the same damned life. Her shitty, hellish experiences brought her where she was now. She had a perfect son, good friends, the family she never had as a child and was on the road to becoming a social worker/ She would help people like herself.

And she would do so as Tina. She was done running. Who knew, maybe one day she'd fall in love again. She was still young after all. And hot and funny and classy as fuck. Maybe someone a little older, more mature, a little serious but good with kids. She pictured a friendly guy with a suit. Add some glasses. There. Dream step-daddy material. Oh well, like that was going to show up any time soon.

After RJ was tucked away in bed, Tina went to the sitting area to speak with the Hizuri couple. On her way, she passed Kyoko and Kuon who were cuddling. Huh.

The new door was up. Julie and Kuu were conferring. It looked serious. But then she saw what they were doing and rolled her eyes.

"Don't trust those baby face generators. I did one for Rick and I and it looked like friggin' E.T. Honestly."

"I love you too," Ren said, when they were finally done snuggling.

"Oh!" Kyoko exclaimed, though why she would he didn't know. Maybe she thought he held her just as a playboy tactic or something. He pressed his forehead to hers and held her hands. She blushed prettily (though he thought she did everything prettily. Hell, if she was picking her nose he'd still find her beautiful. Put _that_ on a Hallmark card).

"Um, would you like, that is… will you… be my girl friend?" he eventually said. Kyoko kind of froze in response. He let her off the hook.

"You don't have to answer right now!" he said, releasing his hold on her hands and taking a step back. "Let's see what my parents are doing."

The both cringed. Where had Kuu gone?

They found him with Julie and Tina in the sitting room. The three looked solemn.

"Kyoko," Julie asked, "you live in a hotel, yes?"

"Yes ma'am," Kyoko responded.

" _Mom_ , Kyoko. M-o-m."

"Y-yes Mom."

"That's better," Julie smiled, then returned to looking serious. "We were wondering if you would have two vacancies for the next week or so?"

"Well, sure, why?" Kyoko asked, genuinely confused.

The next morning porters helped pack all the Americans' belongings into taxis. Kyoko, who Ren had driven home the night previous before returning to his apartment, helped move their bags into their respective rooms at the Darumaya. Julie figured Kuon would stay with Kyoko, but no, he was staying in his own home. The couple at the Darumaya were thrilled to have international celebrities to stay. Julie and Kuu took and signed photos to be hanged in the restaurant. Kyoko was grateful.

Meanwhile, Yashiro was teasing Ren.

"We never did get the chance to discuss your sleeping arrangements that other night," he prodded. "You know. At that fancy hotel?" he added pointedly. "With Kyoko?" he pushed further. "Overnight?"

Ren glared at the eyebrow-wiggling man in his passenger seat.

"I was visiting my parents," he answered honestly.

"Your parents?" asked a gobsmacked and successfully distracted Yashiro. His tone became serious. "I thought they were dead."

"No," Ren carried on gracefully. "Since they are in town I need more dinner hours off for the next while. Can that be arranged?"

"Yes…" said Yashiro.

It almost sounded decisive.

"Why the hesitation?"

"Well, given your newest job… it will be harder in the near future to balance normal work AND family AND your… secret project."

Ren was thoughtful a moment.

"I don't know how long they will be staying," he admitted.

"Where are they from?"

"That's enough for now."


	15. Chapter 15

**Let me know if this is leaning towards an M rating… also, Yashiro now speaks English too.**

"Oh, you're here! How was Valentine's Day, LoveME section members?"

"Well, I gave chocolates to some people…"

"Yeah me too…"

"I honestly don't remember it very well."

Lory looked so disappointed by Kyoko's claim to have forgotten his favourite holiday*.

"Well then, how about you tell me what Valentine's day means to you?"

"It's chaos incarnate." Kyoko answered. Kanae's response didn't please the president either. As punishment, he assigned them each an extra assignment. Chiori got something fun. Kanae got something messy. Kyoko? Kyoko got something dangerous.

 ***every holiday is Lory's favourite holiday**

+++KR+++

She found him at the airport. She did a double take, then doubled over from laughing so hard. She marched up to him and planted a kiss on his cheek, breaking his character to smithereens. Good thing this was just the practice run.

"Oh my gosh, its Tsuruga Ren!" a passerby exclaimed. The media caught wind of the story. The story made national news. _Tsuruga Ren Into Kinky Role Play with Mystery Girlfriend._ Lory just about peed his pants.

+++KR+++

"Kyoko? Can we talk for a minute?" Julie asked.

"Sure," the young woman responded, sitting next to her boyfriend at the Darumaya.

"Er, privately please…" Julie said discretely. She looked at her husband and raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Kuon I'd like to speak with you too," Kuu added.

The ladies went into Kyoko's room. Julie promptly pulled out a banana and some condoms from her purse and began a SexEd lesson that turned Kyoko's whole self red in embarrassment. She didn't get far however.

"Mother, please! We don't have that kind of relationship!" Kyoko practically cried.

"Eh?" Julie asked, genuinely confused. "But the article said…"

"What article?" Kyoko asked.

Julie showed her. She blanched.

When they had finished their talk, which went in a very different direction than it had begun, they two pairs regrouped downstairs. The millennials were rather awkward.

"I think we should talk about handling celebrity scandals," Kuu said.

"Hold on," Kuon said. "There's someone else who should hear this."

+++KR+++

The Darumaya was a great space for kids during the day, but at night Tina found it too rowdy. She didn't like little Ricky to be exposed to drunkenness. Julie and Kuu were always respectful of this and it had never been a problem. As for herself, she'd been sober since her pregnancy. Though Kuon had been sheltered from it, her and Rick experimented with a few things in their youth. She wanted to keep RJ away from that.

Once RJ was tucked in for the night, she set up a baby monitor (yes, she knew he was technically too old…) and went to the common area to join the others.

That's when she saw him. The dorkiest nerd of a man she had ever seen. Glasses. Serious expression. Suit. Not that handsome. She almost swooned. He was speaking with the Hizuri's and Kyoko. She continued to watch secretly and her heart gave a flutter when he became animated.

"It's true?!" Yashiro shouted, only to be shushed by the others. That was it. She was deep in crush. She ran back to her room and got changed into something she considered flirty but hadn't been looking for anyone since she was seventeen so she wasn't really sure but that was fine because who cared what a stranger thought anyway? Oh wait, she did.

"Hey you guys," a pretty brunette called and fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh!" she said with exaggerated wide-eyes. "Who is this?" she tilted her head to the side, releasing a sweet perfume from her hair. She was looking right at him. Her eyes were captivating. So big and honest he felt a little lost in them.

"I- I'm Yashiro Yukihito. Pleased to meet you," he stood and bowed. He noticed a blush on his face and the embarrassment from _that_ caused further blushing down his neck and on his ears. The woman let out a small giggle.

"Pleased to meet you as well, I'm Christina Brown."

Kuon watched the exchange and experienced a dysphoric feeling in his gut. Tina was with Rick. Rick still loved Tina when he died therefore they were a couple. Tina shouldn't flirt with someone else. Especially not his only other guy friend.

"Stop it," he said quietly.

The pair's easy conversation halted.

"What was that?" Tina asked.

"What about Rick?" Kuon asked, feeling like a fifteen-year-old all over again.

"Kuon!" Julie scolded. Tina just stared at him while tears welled in her eyes.

"I should go," she said indecisively looking at the floor. "Goodbye."

Kuon also looked bewildered by what he had said. Everyone was on edge when they parted for the night.

 **Thanks for reading. Let me know if that was outside T and I'll adjust the rating.**


	16. Chapter 16

Finally, Yashiro knew the truth. Ren was none other than Kuon Hizuri, this entire time! It explained his fast progress but Yashiro was pretty sure he wasn't getting the full story. It made sense for him to start his career by his own skills versus his name, but there were too many pauses, inhalations too deep, Yashiro didn't buy it. Did it have to do with Rick?

Yes, Yashiro was still thinking about that captivating young woman he had met at the hotel. He now felt embarrassed flirting in front of so many people but… he was comfortable around her. But apparently she had someone else in her life. Yashiro felt used. She had someone but went ahead and led him on. Still, he wanted to hug her when Re-Kuon mentioned Rick. Her expression, it seemed so lonely. If he were with her she would never feel lonely. He resented Rick for having this amazing girlfriend he wasn't there for. Maybe she could see she deserved better treatment, and maybe she could find it in him.

Well, that's how he imagined it anyway. He never had a relationship so he couldn't be sure. He hoped he'd be able to deliver on those promises.

But back to reality, Yashiro had to take care of REN's latest (and only) scandal. He knocked on the president's office door.

Sebastian answered, dressed like a crustacean of the same name. Oh dear. The office was a coral reef, with real fish tanks lining the walls. It would have been beautiful if not for the middle-aged man with a fish tale.

"Er, hello Lory, I came to discuss Ren's latest media coverage?"

Lory's face lit up.

"Isn't it wonderful?"

Wonderful? It contradicted his trademark gentleman persona!

"How do you mean?" Yashiro asked instead.

"He's finally making an impact! Besides," Lory turned serious. Or as serious as one can be in a merman costume. "They don't suspect a thing."

Um, what?

"I'm sorry if it makes him uncomfortable but I need the media to not question why he was looking the way he was. No, I cannot elaborate. When the time is right you'll know. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Did Lory know Ren's true identity? Perhaps not. Yashiro decided against bringing it up.

"No, that's all."

+++KR+++

Tina was relieved her son was asleep. That way he wouldn't notice her crying. She was a very quiet crier. Practice, she supposed. Was she being unfaithful? Of course she still loved Rick but he died half a decade ago. No, longer than that. She hadn't been on so much as a coffee date since. Was it so unreasonable she was lonely? She became kind of pissed off instead of sad. She marched herself to the door to go give Kuon a piece of her scattered mind.

When she opened the door Kuon was there, poised to knock. They were both surprised, but Tina regained her composure first.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Um, I… am… sorry. Sorry for my outburst earlier."

"You should be! I am a young, single parent. I haven't so much as held hands with a dude since Rick died and I earned this!" Her anger deflated and she gave Kuon a hug. "I get it though. I get it."

She squeezed his hand and let go.

"Well, busy day tomorrow I'm sure. Best get to sleep."

"Good night."

 **So that was tiny, but it took me _months_. I really need a beta reader to bounce ideas off. Please PM me if you're interested, or leave a comment with a suggestion. Thank you very much!**


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